Morphology, orientation, and mechanical properties of gelatin films

Gelatin is a polypeptide derived from degradation and disorganization of collagen fibers and is the primary binder in photographic emulsions. Gelatin provides the mechanical integrity and strength to the photographic emulsion allowing for packaging, handling, and photofinishing operations. Gelatin films generated from aqueous-solution casting can exist in a semicrystalline or an amorphous state. When a gelatin solution is cooled below its helix-coil transition temperature, partial renaturation of gelatin to form triple helices can occur. The degree of renaturation in a coated film is dependent upon the drying temperature and the drying rate. During the drying process, gelatin crystals can be formed by lateral association of the triple helices through a mechanism of nucleation and growth of a fringed micelle structure. X-ray scattering techniques have been utilized to examine the morphology and orientation of gelatin films. Based on X-ray diffraction data, it is observed that aggregates of triple-helix rods lie parallel to the film plane but are symmetrically distributed within the film plane. Since a material`s physical and mechanical properties are related to its structure, it is necessary to understand and to characterize the morphological development in gelatin film formation. In this study, an X-ray diffractometer and pole figure goniometer weremore » utilized to examine the structural development and orientation anisotropy in solid-state gelatin films. Also, in this study, the in-plane mechanical properties of a gelatin film were determined from a uniaxial tensile test, and the gelatin film properties in the thickness direction were extracted from an indentation test based on the finite element analysis of the indentation results using a viscoelastic material model.« less